Natural Health Blog

Elderberries that have been soaking in vodka for about 4 weeks. Always soak herbs in vodka in a glass container.

I strained my elderberry vodka tincture today for bottling! Yippee!

It's a royal mess making elderberry tincture - be prepared for berry-colored splatters here, there and everywhere - BUT with the amount of product that you yield for very little cost makes it a worthwhile endeavor.

Why take elderberry tincture?

Elderberry has been used for thousands of years. YES, thousands! Elderberries are diaphoretic (this class of herbs open the blood vessels, therefore lowering blood pressure), it's also diuretic (helps to eliminate excess water from the body) and it's also slightly laxative. This laxative effect (I find) is SO mild that I've never noticed it. Although everyone is different.

Because of Elderberries effects on the body, they are used medicinally for colds, fevers, respiratory ailments, arthritis, blood cleansing, sore throats, hoarseness, laryngitis & it's high in Vitamin C so it may be taken regularly for immune health.

Strain elderberries and vodka into a cloth or muslin fabric to strain out all sediment. It's a good idea to also wear gloves as elderberries can stain the skin.

Elderberry can be made into wine, pies, tinctures and syrups. Tinctures and syrups are usually used medicinally.

Tinctures are made without honey or water. And since they are made with vodka as the solvent, they last much longer than elderberry syrup. Elderberry Tinctures are said to last at least 3 years but I think if they are stored in glass bottles and not exposed to light or heat, they may last even longer than that!

Once the elderberries are poured into the cloth (with a glass bowl as the receptacle), the hard part begins. Extracting the tincture!

To make elderberry tincture, simply soak either dried or fresh elderberries in vodka for approximately 4 weeks.